Conventionally, among electrical connectors, waterproof connectors which prevent water from entering the connecting portion with a mating connector are known. The air bag systems of automobiles send an electrical signal to the ignition device to cause an explosion, and the gas generated from the explosion fills the air bag. The wiring which sends the electrical signal in the air bag system is connected to the mating connector on the ignition device through an electrical connector. Recently, air bag devices have come to be installed not only in the steering portion in the interior of automobiles, but also, inside the doors as a curtain air bag or a side air bag. Since condensation or the like is more likely to be formed inside the doors compared with the interior, the connectors used inside the doors needs to be waterproof. As one of the electrical connectors, there is proposed, for example, a waterproof electrical connector in which an outer side of an insulative housing sandwiching electrical wires guided out is covered with a body by melt molding. Thereby the body is formed integrally with the insulative housing (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-258041).
In the waterproof electrical connector proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-258041, the insulative housing includes a main housing and a cover housing which are both made of insulating synthetic resin. The main housing has an electrical wire housing end section projected in a direction in which an electrical wire projects. A projection is formed on both side surfaces of the electrical wire housing end section. The cover housing covers a section spreading to the rear of the main housing in a direction in which the electrical connector is fitted to the mating connector (hereinafter referred to as a head section), and has an electrical wire covering end section that covers the electrical wire housing end section of the main housing. A lock is provided at both ends of the electrical wire covering end section. The lock prevents the cover housing, which covers the head section, from coming off the head section.
The insulative housing holds the electrical wire connection section of a contact and the electrical wire by sandwiching them with the electrical wire housing end section of the main housing and the electrical wire covering end section of the cover housing.
The body covers a part of the main housing and the entire surface of the cover housing, which includes both a boundary portion between the main housing and the cover housing and portions sandwiching the electrical wire. In other words, an insulating coating of the electrical wire is adhered to the main housing with the body.
Moreover, the cover housing is thinly formed from the request of a reduction in height in the waterproof electrical connector.
In the waterproof electrical connector proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-258041, the cover housing is thinly formed from the request of a reduction in height in the waterproof electrical connector. The lock, which locks the cover housing, is provided on only both ends of the electrical wire covering end section. Therefore, for example, when the electrical wire is pulled, and force that lifts the electrical wire to the cover housing side acts on the electrical wire, the cover housing is bent. Moreover, when an amount of bending is large, the cover housing may be detached from the main housing. When the cover housing is bent or detached from the cover housing, the body may be peeled off the insulative housing. Then, when the body is peeled, the waterproof electrical connector loses its waterprooffness.
Regarding this problem, the body is prevented from being peeled, for example, by increasing the rigidity of the cover housing, or by increasing an adhesive area to improve an adhesive force. Thereby, the waterproof electrical connector has high waterprooffness. However, such methods prevent a reduction in a height of the waterproof electrical connector and thereby adds to increased size.